(OBLAST BY OBLAST)
Kirov
Kirov – Киров
First mentioned in chronicles as Vyatka (Вятка) in 1374, in 1934 the city was renamed Kirov in honor of Sergey Kirov – a revolutionary and a popular Soviet politician of the 1920s and 1930s.
The central square.
The drama theatre.
The Tsentralnaya Hotel.
The statue of Saint Trifon stands next to the hotel.
The 16th century Saint Trifon Monastery is a 5 minute walk from the statue.
The 1906 Seraphim Sarovsky Church.
The most eye-catching building in the center of the city is the KGB office. It was built as a mansion of a rich local merchant and after the 1917 Russian Revolution was confiscated in favour of this law enforcement agency.
The best place for a stroll is the Alexandrovsky Park. The park was specially laid as a promenade and opened for the public in 1835.
The view over the Vyatka River from the promenade.
In spring time the beach on the opposite side is usually flooded.
The walking street in central Kirov.
The war memorial on a high bank of the Vyatka River.
Kirov is a hometown of famous Russian artists the Vasnetsov brothers. There is a respective museum and art gallery.
The puppet theatre.
A family.
The obelisk to fighters for the Soviet Power.
The statue of Stepan Khalturin a revolutionary terrorist who on February 5, 1880 exploded a bomb in the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg in an attempt to assassinate Tsar Alexander II. The explosion spared the tsar but killed 11 other people. The statue was installed in 1923.
The place to relax after a walking tour around Kirov.
KIROV oblast – КИРОВская область
Velikoretskoe – великорецкое
The village of Velikoretskoe is located 87 km north of Kirov. It is a short detour from the main road to the Komi Republic. The legend has it that back in 1383 St. Nicholas appeared to traveling monks while they were praying on the high bank of the Velikaya River. The apparition was immediately interpreted as a telltale sign to settle down in this place and begin building churches. Cross and icon-bearing processions take place in Velikoretskoe every year gathering hundreds of worshippers.
Two chapels were built on the bank of the Velikaya River where Saint Nicholas allegedly appeared to the praying monks. One with a baptistery.
On the way to Velikoretskoe there is an abandoned village. Lovers of ruins can hunt for artifacts like big chests lined with newspapers issued 60 and more years ago.
